Hat protector



July 22, 1947. .s. 'P. OPPENHIEIMER 2,424,414

" HAT PROTECTOR Filed Feb." 20, 1946 INVENTOR SAMUEL R OFPENHEIMER Patented July 22, 1947 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE HAT PROTECTOR.

Samuel P. Oppenheimer, New York, N. Y.

Application February 20, 1946, Serial No. 648,896

Claims.

This invention relates to hat protectors. It is particularly directed to a protector made of waterproof, thin, pliable flexible sheet material for a mans hat having crown and brim portions.

An object of this invention is to provide a hat protector of the character described which shall be easy to apply and remove and which may be bent, creased or otherwise formed by the wearer to take the shape he desires and to conform to the hat.

Another object of this invention is to provide a protector of the character described for protecting mens hats against rain, dust, grease or other matter and to protect hats in storage, said protector comprising a covering for the hat and comprising means for firmly holding the cover on the hat without using elastic or other compressing means of attachment, which might damage or impair the shape of the hat or of the brim thereof.

Still another object of this invention is to provide a protective hat cover of the character described so constructed that it can be readily applied and removed without distorting the hat or its brim, said cover being so constructed that it may receive various size hats, said covering furthermore being so constructed that collection of Water thereon will not tend to penetrate any pin holes or other defective joining of the cover.

Still another object of this invention is to provide a hat protective cover for a customary mans hat provided with a crown receiving portion, a brim covering portion and pockets to receive the front and rear ends of the hat brim, which ends may be slipped into the pockets easily, and the protector being so constructed thatit will stay firmly on the hat Without the use of elastic or other fastening devices.

Still a further object of this invention is to provide a hat protector of the character described comprising a crown portion and brim portion, the crown comprising a top one piece member joined at its edge to a member forming a side wall of the crown all around.

Still a further object of this invention is to provide in a hat protector of the character described having a crown covering portion and a portion to cover the top of the brim of the hat, and portions extending from the brim covering portion at the front and rear and projecting inwardly to form pockets, said pockets receiving the front and rear ends of the brim, each pocket being wider at an end of the hat than at the sides of the hat, whereby to give substantially maximum distances from side to side of the hat for insertion of the brim into the pockets, said pockets overlapping at the sides of the hat to prevent water from seeping into the protector.

A still further object of this invention is to provide a protector of the character described which shall be relatively inexpensive to manufacture, which may be folded into fiat compact condition so that it may be placed into a bag which may be carried in the pocket, and which shall yet be practical and efficient to a high degree in use.

Other objects of this invention will in part be obvious and in part hereinafter pointed out.

The invention accordingly consists in the features of construction, combinations of elements, and arrangement of parts which will be exemplified in the construction hereinafter described, and of which the scope of application will be indicated in the following claims.

In the accompanyin drawing, in which is shown various possible illustrative embodiments of this invention,

Fig. 1 is a top perspective view of a hat protector embodying the invention;

Fig. 2 is a bottom perspective view thereof;

Fig. 3 is a top plan view of the blank from which the side of the crown of the protector is made;

Fig, 4 is a top plan view of the blank from which the top of the crown of the protector is made;

Fig. 5 is a top plan view of the blank from which the brim covering portion of the protector is made;

Fig, 6 is a top plan view of the blanks from which the pocket members are made;

Fig. 7 is a partial bottom plan view of the hat protector; and

Fig. 8 is a cross-sectional view taken on line 8-8 of Fig. 2 with the hat protector on a hat.

Fig. 9 is a cross-sectional view of one of the seams.

Referring now in detail to the drawing, it! designates a hat protector embodyin the invention protecting a mans hat H such as a felt hat which has a crown portion l2 and a brim portion IS. The protector I0 comprises a crown covering portion I5 and a brim covering portion l6 and pocket members I! beneath said brim covering portions. The crown portion l5 comprises a portion I8 which covers the side wall of the crown of the hat, and a top portion I9 which covers the top of the crown of the hat. The protector is preferably made of water-proof, thin, pliable flexible material such as vinyl plastic film or the like synthetic plastic sheeting. When constructed of such material the protector may be bent, creased, or otherwise formed by the wearer to take the shape of the hat which it protects.

The portion N3 of the hat may be made from a blank l8a. The blank l8a may comprise an elongated strip of sheeting having a bottom edge 20 and a top edge 2| and end edges 22. In the top edge 2| are taken darts 23 stitched along inclined edges 24. At the ends of the strip are inclined edges 24a. End edges 22 and the end inclined edges 24a are stitched together to form a seam 25 which forms the blank into a ring IS. The top I9 of the hat is formed of a blank [9a. The blank I9a is stitched as by continuous seam 26 to the upper edge of portion [8.

The portion [6 of the hat protector is made from a ring blank 16a shown in Fig. 5. Blank Ilia is oval or elliptical in shape and is formed with a hole Nib in the middle. Its inner edge I60 is stitched to the lower edge 20a of blank Ida to form a seam 30 all around.

The front and rear pockets I! are made from similar blanks Ila shown in Fig. 6. The blanks Ila are shaped like crescents and may be cut economically from a strip of sheeting in the manner shown in Fig. 6 with the crescents contacting. Said blanks are cut from a sheet by cutting curved lines 32, each out line forming an outer edge of one blank and the inner edge of the next adjacent blank. The pocket members H are stitched adjacent their outer edges to the outer edges Hid of blank l6a to form seams 35. It will be noted that the pockets I! are each wider in the middle, as at 36, and gradually become narrower at the ends thereof, as at 31. In stitchin the pockets H to the underside of brim covering portion Hi, the ends 37 are overlapped as shown in Fig. 7 of the drawing. Preferably the rear pocket laps over the front pocket so that in case of rain the water will not seep into the hat, as the rear of the brim is usually curved upwardly and the front of the brim is snapped downwardly. It will be noted that the inner edge of each pocket I! is hemmed as at I'lb.

When it is desired to use the protector, the crown thereof is placed over the crown of the hat and the hat brim is easily inserted in the pockets without folding or creasing. Such application is accomplished by starting the insertion of the hat brim inside the protector brim pockets at the sides, next to the overlapped portions 31. The hat brim i then eased into the protector brim pockets with one finger. The hemmed edge I'll) only gradually increases the size of the pockets, and the increment of increase is so gradual as to allow the hat brim to easily slip into the protector brim. The lapping of portions 31 allows play and facilitates insertion and removal, thereby eliminating bending or distortion of the hat brim and protecting the sides of the hat brim from the ingress of rain or other material.

The pockets are so formed as to hold the protector firmly on the hat without strain on the hat crown or brim which might cause the same to lose their shape. Since elastic bands are not used there is no strain on the protector to cause it to wear, tear or become otherwise damaged.

When the protector is dented in at the top of the crown to follow the shape of the hat and to suit the taste of the wearer, a hollow is formed which will allow water to collect. As the top [9 of the protector is made in one piece and seams are at the topmost part of the protector away from the hollow formed by the indentation, there is no accumulation of water possible over any seam which might tend to induce a leak. It will be noted, furthermore, that the protector may be folded into compact form and fits in an envelope and may be carried in the pocket of a mans coat or suit.

The brim cover is easy to apply and remove and not too tight or too loose when brim sizes of the hat vary, but adequately holds the cover on the hat brim without strain for any size hat brim which will fit between the protector brim and the pockets. Furthermore, there is no chance of distorting the hat brim as would be the case if elastics were used.

In Fig. 9 is shown seam 30. The seams 25, 26 and 35 may be similarly constructed. Seam 30 shows the adjacent edge portions of the seamed sheets to be rolled together and stitched to render the seam waterproof.

It will thus be seen that there is provided a device in which the several objects of this invention are achieved, and which is well adapted to meet the conditions of practical use.

As various possible embodiments might be made of the above invention, and as various changes might be made in the embodiments above set forth, it is to be understood that all matter herein set forth or shown in the accompanying drawing is to be interpreted as illustrative and not in a limiting sense.

Having thus described my invention, I claim new and desire to secure by Letters Patent:

1. A hat protector made of flexible sheet material and comprising a crown portion to receive the crown of a hat, and a brim portion to cover the top of the brim of a hat, and pockets extending from the brim portion of the protector to receive edge portions of the brim of the hat, said pockets decreasing in size from an end of the protector toward the sides of the protector, said pockets having overlapping portions at the sides of the protector.

2. A hat protector made of flexible sheet material and comprising a piece forming the top of the crown of the protector, and an elongated strip seamed together at its ends, the upper edge of said strip being seamed to the edge of said piece, a brim portion having an inner edge, and an outer edge, said inner edge being stitched to the lower edge of said strip, and a pair of pocket portions at the underside of the brim portion and stitched at their outer edges to the outer edge of said brim portion, each of said pocket portions being wider at the middle and narrower at the ends.

3. A hat protector made of flexible sheet material and comprising a piece forming the top of the crown of the protector, and an elongated strip seamed together at its ends, the upper edge of said strip being seamed to the edge of said piece, a brim portion having an inner edge, and an outer edge, said inner edge being stitched to the lower edge of said strip, and a pair of pocket portions at the underside of the brim portion and stitched at their outer edges to the outer edge of said brim portion, each of said pocket portions being wider at the middle and narrower at the ends, the narrow ends of one pocket portion lapping the narrow ends of the other pocket portion.

4. A hat protector made of flexible sheet material and comprising a crown portion to receive the crown of a hat, and a brim portion to cover the top of the brim of a hat, and pockets extending from the brim portion of the protector to receive edge portions of the brim of the hat, said pockets decreasing in size from an end of the protector toward the sides of the protector, said pockets having overlapping portions at the sides of the protector, the crown portion of said protector comprising a single elongated strip of sheet material having meeting seamed ends, and a top portion seamed all around to the upper edges of said first strip.

5. A hat protector made of flexible sheet material and comprising a. crown pontion to receive the crown of a hat, and a brim portion to cover the top of the brim of a hat, and pockets extending from the brim portion of the protector to receive edge portions of the brim of the hat, said pockets decreasing in size from an end of the protector toward the sides of the protector, said pockets having overlapping portions at the sides of the protector, the crown portion of said protector comprising a single elongated strip of sheet material having meeting seamed ends, and. a top portion seamed all around to the upper edges of said first strip, the upper edge of said strip being formed with a plurality of seamed darts whereby to shape said upper end inwardly.

SAMUEL P. OPPENI-IEIMER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the 10 file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

